Reviews

Kofola is a carbonated soft drink produced in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It is the principal rival of Coca-Cola and Pepsi on the two markets.

The soft drink named Kofola was introduced in 1962, and it survived until now, being still popular. In 2002 they launched a a successful media campaign aimed at a young and hip audience based on the slogan “Když ji miluješ, není co řešit. / Keď ju miluješ, nie je čo riešiť.” (“If/When you love it/her nothing else matters.”) and since then, their sales steadily increase. The public image of Kofola is associated with being sexy by untypical way (picture).

Now, Kofola comes with a light version, called “Kofola Bez” (Kofola Without). The name is ambiguous, as the most popular Kofola campagin theme was nude beach.

Price and packages will be the same, the question is if it will be sold in those 50-litre kegs, from which they traditionally tap you one in a pub across the country.

The main part of Bohemian Carnivale took place this weekend. Among few hundreds of participants stood out original masks from Sardinia, but the actors on stilts stood out even higher.

What else was possible to see? Masks, clowns, jugglers, allegorical baby-carriages, drummers and motorbikes. Hundreds of people walked with the parade, or stopped at the Old Town Square and watched the fun.

The theme of this second year of Bohemian Carnivale is metamorphosis and everything connected to it. People change, or morph, into something they want.

Into the historic sights, which are governed by the Prague Information Service (PIS), were visited by 18 % more visitors than in the year 2006. That makes the total of sightseers 1,3 million people.

The speaker of PIS Dagmar Holubova informed: “There were definitely more visitors of sights, more tourists came to our information centers, but we also got more hits of our web pages (www.pis.cz) – 3,85 million.

The largest interest from Prague Sights arouses traditionally Old Town City Hall at Old Town Square, which attracted 432 500 visitors last year.

Do you have kids in Prague ? Don’t know where to go? The Czech community of Gender Studies has labeled twelve from enterprises located at Prague 1 with their ‘Family Friendly Enterprise’ sticker.

From the announcement it’s clear that to live normally with kids is not an easy task; “I have two kids and I know how hard it is to move with a baby coach in Prague. How a person appreciates any place, where one can feel welcomed with kids, and where are no obstacles.” The founder of action and a deputy of Prague 2 Michaela Marks-Tomin wrote. Her people looked for baby-corners, children menus, nappies changing tables at the WCs, non-smoking environment, whether it is possible to get inside with a carriage and whether they have a baby chair. The list of places is here

“The year 2007 was a record-breaking one. Nobody have seen such success. The exhibition ‘Lovci mamutu’ (mammoth hunters), showing originals of the Bohemia’s oldest settlement of men, was visited by more than 600 thousands visitors.” said the National Museum Director.

The exhibition that is the most visited at the moment, is called ‘Albrecht Valdstein’ and there are queues every day at the Valdstejnska Jizdarna, where it takes place. It is not only the most visited exhibition, but also the biggest one.

People in Prague showed enormous interest in the Devil’s bible. To see it in the super-modern safe-deposit in Prague Klementinum came 35 thousands already, the exhibition was even prolonged, what’s more, the speaker of the national library announced that they are negotiating further prolongation.

The last record for a place which offers everyday exhibition of animals live: Prague Zoo. It is incredible how much it blossomed under the lead of Petr Fejk ; the year 2007 brought 1,25 million people there.

Based on: MF Dnes

If you plan to spend the New Year’s Eve in Prague, and you plan to spend it outdoors, there are going to be many fireworks. I’ll skip the part where we warn you how dangerous it is bla bla and give you the numbers of injured, bla bla, and get to the part where I tell you – the place where you will definitely see many people shooting fireworks, that often fall back to the crowd to explode, is Old Town Square.

Wenceslas Square will be full of people, as there will be the free show broadcasted live on Czech TV station Nova. A big stage will be built near the statue of St. Wenceslas. The place will be full of fireworks, too.

If you want to enjoy a view of fireworks, take some drink with you and find some perch. I remember Vysehrad worked quite well for us. Of course, not all of us want to be outdoors; for you we have some New Year’s Eve tips. And PS: Karlovy Lazne is the place where it may be the best to spend the night, if you like disco music. Happy new year!

Every time, an independent movie becomes famous, the critics talk about a miracle. Is it so in the case of Once? Let’s have a look into. Once is a 2006 Irish musical film written and directed by John Carney. Set in Dublin, it stars musicians Glen Hansard (of popular Irish rock band The Frames) and Markéta Irglová, a fictional Czech emigrant, as struggling musicians.

Irglova’s Czech character stays at the “wild east” definition, I mean the way western film makers see us, and probably always will. One example for all – she is dressed like a Bulgarian beggar from 19th century. But her screen performance is just sweet. The same way we can talk about Hansard – every time he looks, sings, talks, he is just sweet. But the film doesn’t stand on acting – it stands and falls with music, which is just great.

I would recommend the film for all those who are tired by movies, which will put you into a never ending spiral, or that which will make you feel guilty, or simply those genre simplifications – Once is a clean, sweet and poetic movie, that doesn’t pretend anything. I shouldn’t say it here, but it is also nice to see a Czech actress in other than an ‘adult’ movie.

Recently published analysis of regional differences in the Czech Republic revealed an interesting fact – Prague is, year by year, more different from the rest of the country. The numbers are so different, they have to be filed separately, as it would blur the republic average.

For example – Prague citizens have the most advanced cars from the whole country, every second household is connected to the Internet and one third of citizens of Prague have finished higher or university education.

Ales Michl, analyst of Raiffeisenbank stated:

“Prague is unique compared to other metropolises, located east from Prague – i.e. Bratislava or Budapest. There, the differences among the capital and the rest of the country aren’t so noticeable. Prague is so much more like Paris, London of Frankfurt.”

The metropolis is first also in the quality and availability of health care, so here is 15,7 percent of seniors older 65 years, meanwhile the republic average is 14,4 percent. Prague has population of 1,198,094. The numbers of Prague citizens are getting higher every year, and more than 70% of newcomers are Ukrainians, Russians and Vietnamese. Those cover some of the low paid jobs, but surprisingly there is still over-supply of such positions.

Concerning salaries; the average is 26 134 CZK (933€), which can sound meager compared to the average in i.e Britain (2931€), but the salary in Prague is still about 5196 CZK (179€) higher than the national average.

A dog restaurant? Do you mean for dogs or offering dogs? The answer is b. The restaurant offers German shepherd steak with dumplings and cream sauce, Sausage dog on cranberries, or grilled Labrador on garlic. It opens soon in the Czech Republic second largest city Brno. Wonder what the prices are? From 259 CZK (8,6 €) for Chivava starter, to 999 CZK (33 €) for fifty grams of Yorkshire delicacy.

Do you feel sick already? Do you even feel like suing? You don’t have to. This time it is just an Internet project of an imaginary restaurant, that should demonstrate it is not possible to prioritize some animals on account of others. According to its author (one of them) Ales Leznar:

“We buy tidy packages with anonymous carcasses in supermarkets, but if it was saying ‘neighbor’s Max’, hardly anybody would buy it. If humanity wants a really fair world, they should reduce or abandon meat consumption”

It is really a project that should provoke discussions. However on the web www.DogHeaven.cz it wouldn’t seem so – it is even decorated with advertisements like ‘Invite your Asian business partner to lunch’ or ‘Visit dog meat festival’. But soon the manifesto appears – this is an appeal on human hypocrisy, which looks down upon maltreatment of pets, but tolerates mass meat-works.

Based on jih,miš, Lidove Noviny

Cirque du Soleil (French for “Circus of the Sun”), an entertainment empire based in Montreal, Canada, performed in Prague this weekend. Sazka Arena hosted about eight thousands of people. The performed piece was Delirium; ‘a multifaceted event of unprecedented proportion featuring a state-of-the-art mix of music & stunning acrobatics infused with multimedia & awe-inspiring gigantic visuals.’

Cirque du Soleil ranks among so called ‘Cirque Nouveau / New Circus’, which is a theatre genre, connecting locomotive art, street theatre, dance, music, puppet shows and cirque (without animals).

No ring and no animals helped to make Cirque du Soleil the modern circus as it is described today. Each show is a synthesis of circus styles from around the world and has its own central theme and storyline, which brings the audience into the performance by having no curtains. It is accompanied by continuous live music and performers changing the props. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s the Cirque expanded rapidly and went from one show with 73 employees in 1984 to currently 3,500 employees from over 40 countries, doing fifteen shows, touring every continent and having an estimated annual revenue exceeding $600 million USD.

Palladium is located in Prague, Namesti Republiky square (at a metro station of the same name). It opens on 25th October 2007 and customers can start shopping at 5 p.m. There are two hundred shops to be opened gradually. The biggest supply is of designer boutiques offering fashion and shoes.

New brands are going to enter the Czech market, and to have their first shops here. Those are i.e. Adams Kids, Mothercare and Italy’s fashion retailer Conbipel. While Palladium is expected to profit from its advantageous location in the city center, (just a minute from Prague’s shopping street Na Prikopech) the customers will have to expect the prices to reflect the center position. Rents at this location are one of the biggest in the Czech Republic.

On 22th October 2007, Gwen Stefani made her solo performance in Prague for the last time, as she is planning a comeback to her group No Doubt, after getting back to the USA.

Not just by her voice, but also by her direct show she just overpowered her Czech fans. Just a few empty seats and the huge Sazka Arena of Prague would be completely sold out. She started her performance by getting out of a golden cage in a ‘custodial dress’, and singing the song that gave name to the whole tour: The Sweet Escape.

Gwen Stefani (1969), is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and occasional actress. Stefani debuted in 1992 as the frontwoman of the third wave ska band No Doubt, whose 1995 album Tragic Kingdom propelled them to stardom, selling sixteen million copies worldwide.

Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was primarily inspired by music of the 1980s, taking Stefani’s work further into pop, R&B, and dance music, and enjoyed international success with sales of over seven million. The album’s third single “Hollaback Girl” became the first U.S. digital download to sell one million copies.

For all the water- lovers there is a possibility to enjoy the Prague Aquapark Barrandov. It offers many ways to make sport or relax; for children there is a wading pool with a mini switchback and mini spouters. If you are courageous you can try the 115 metres long, red switchback. For those who have yet more courage there is the blue 62 metres long switchback, which you slip down on two-seat inflatable crafts. But if you only want to relax, try a whirlpool, massage jets and waterspouters. And when you are fed up with water, there are massage beds with massage air. For better swimmers there is wild river with artificial back flow. In the centre there you can also find a 25 metres long swimming pool.

The area is accompanied by the restaurant Mirage Blue, which is located in the area of aquacentre on the first floor with view of the swimming pool and switchbacks. This restaurant is opened not only for visitors of aquacentre, but also for the general public.

If you want to see complete information, you will find it Here

Bambini di Praga was established after WW II. It was a concept of post-war Czechoslovak radio. The official title of the choir was the Children‘s choir of Czechoslovak Radio, but they were called “Kulincata” (Kulinsky’s Children). This choir originated in Ostrava – Hrabuvka in Moravia. Young teacher Bohumil Kulinsky founded his first choir and called it the Hrabuvka singers. It was an excellent choir and in the year of its foundation it won a country-wide anonymous competition of children choirs. It was the competition which was announced by School radio in the then Nazi-occupied Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. And so the choirmaster of the victorious choir was invited to the post-war Czechoslovak radio. It happened in September 1945. Since then the children’s choir could be heard on waves of Czechoslovak radio for almost 30 years.

The members of the Bambini di Praga’s concert choir are children from 5 to 12. They studied choral singing, music theory, intonation and rythm and also English language and motion training.

More information on Bambini di Praga here

It will soon be possible to shop in a new supermarket complex at the Republic square (Namesti republiky). Let’s make a little comparison with the old one.

The old supermarket, Kotva (Anchor), at Namesti republiky, built 1970 – 1975, was supposed to became a symbol of richness and plenitude of socialism. It was the biggest supermarket in the former Czechoslovakia. However at the end it showed the exact opposite – thanks to the usual supply problem most of the time the shelves offered only gaping emptiness. According to the author’s opinion, the only people who go to Kotva nowadays are the Russians, and most of the store offers only over-priced leather goods.

Palladium has been built for about 5 years, the work was slowed down thanks to the fact the whole center of Prague stands on archaeological sites. It was build in a shell of a historical building, with new basement floors. This way, it didn’t make any harm to the face of Prague, as we know it. It comprises of office and dining facilities along with Prague’s largest inner city parking garage. It was built not only as a center of commerce but also as a lively retail anchor and meeting point. The selection of shops was based on questionnaires, filled in by 1500 locals, to assure to fulfill the needs. Not burdened by the communist past, Palladium is a new and fresh place for our shopping. Opens on 25th of October.

Do you know how to behave in metro? Do you know what’s the etiquette when using the public transport in Prague? We have picked a lovely article for you that might tell you more about the “right behaviour” in Prague.

I moved to Prague almost a year ago and I am proud to say I have not driven a car since I have been here. The “California Girl” in me is bitter, but the rest of me is quite pleased. There has been no reason to drive a car. The public transportation system here rocks – and rocks hard…like Bon Jovi. It’s really the best I’ve ever seen.

So, although I prefer to walk this lovely city, I shall now tell you how to avoid certain mistakes whilst using public transit. There is a system of etiquette here in Prague. If you don’t follow it I will glare at you from the Metro platform. You have been warned. (read the whole article).

Today we bring you an interesting article focusing on the relation between Czech mentality and geographical position. What’s your view?

A lack of access to the sea is an important factor in the development of Czech thinking patterns. Being landlocked inside a crater-shaped basin has laid the foundations of the Czech mentality. […]

Czechs don’t have megalomaniacal ambitions and projects, with the possible exceptions of the Zizkov TV tower and Vladimir Remek, the first non-American/non-Soviet cosmonaut.

Living in an enclosed space, threatened by potential attackers on all sides, makes you concentrate on taking care of what you have. (read the whole article)

We bring you a detailed review of the biggest festival in the Czech Republic, Rock For People, held at the area of Hradec Kralove airport from 4th to 6th July 2007.

Resume: 3 days, 24 bands, most clothes wet, all pairs of trousers and shoes muddy, sun burnt face – the best holiday in my life!

It’s always been my dream to go to a rock festival. I know that to many of you it isn’t such a big deal but for me it’s never been that easy. There was either no money or no people who would undergo that with me. And so I was ineffably happy when my friend said she would go with me. We bought our tickets about 2 months in advance and before we realized the day D arrived.

[…] The overall organization of this festival that is the biggest in the Czech Republic was impressive. Needless to say, all the 17 thousand people who visited the festival were impressive too. There were no drunken fights, no aggression, no drugs, no stealing – as far as my friend and I noticed. (the whole article)

Do you want to know more about celebrating 1st May in the Czech Republic? We bring you some ideas:

The celebrations of May 1st are in many people’s mind connected with the huge celebrations during the communist regime. For over forty years, there were float parades in all big cities in the back then Czechoslovakia. The biggest parade was, of course, in Prague, to be more precise, in Letna Plain, Prague 7.

The participation on those massive communist manifestations celebrating the Labor Day was mandatory. People had to go if they didn’t want to have troubles. And so the big plain in Letna witnessed every year on May 1st the same scenario – thousands of people waving little Czechoslovak and Soviet flags at the communists party officials who were seated on a tribune decorated in red, with huge pictures of Marxist leaders and signs “With Soviet Union Forever”. For everyone this was a waste of time… (read the whole article)

Sunny weekend attracted many people to go out and enjoy the nice weather in Prague. Prague Zoo in Troja was visited by almost 13,000 people on Saturday and even 15,000 on Sunday.

Three baby goats and a baby giraffe got their names by famous Czech people on Sunday. Yesterday visitors could also use the advantageous Troja card for the first time this year.

Tourists filled the favourite places in Prague, such as Prague Castle and its gardens, Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square with Easter markets and Charles Bridge over the Vltava River.

Since the beginning of April, many monuments and places has been open again. The weather forecast still promises pleasant temperatures about 15˚C (59 ˚F) in Prague for the rest of April.